When someone asks where is the best place to camp for a week and do different day hikes in Oregon, I never waiver. I always answer: Willamette Pass.

The pass at the center of the Oregon Cascades, the one you drive across on Oregon 58 from Eugene through Oakridge, then on into central Oregon at Chemult and Klamath Falls, has plenty of hiking and camping options.

The thing I like best about Willamette Pass is that the highway stays relatively high, especially on the east side of the mile-high pass. You don't go up, up, up, then down, down, down. That makes the hiking easier, because the trailheads tend to be at a higher elevation.

Here I present a list of my favorite hikes at Willamette Pass: seven more hikes that didn't make Travel Oregon's "7 Wonders" list. All of these hikes happen to reach the tops of peaks or buttes You may have to drive a bit to reach the trailheads from a centralized campground, but the hikes are worth it.

Oh, too, a story about camping at Willamette Pass: I remember one night driving there after work from Portland, then parking in the woods to sleep in my van (this was a long time ago). It was late and I was ready to sleep. Then I heard the train approaching. I thought, dang, did I park next to the railroad.

It turned out that I had, but the train disappeared into a tunnel before it got to my location and my spot remained blissfully quiet.

The best hikes at Willamette Pass:

Diamond Peak: At 8,744 feet, this is the high point in the area. Drive to Summit Lake south of the peak (whichever way you go is torture), then hike north on the Pacific Crest Trail into the Diamond Peak Wilderness Area. An obvious climbers path takes off and makes a beeline to the summit. It's one of Oregon's easiest big volcanoes to climb after the snow melts.

Lakeview Mountain: This prominent peak can be seen over Odell lake from Oregon 58. The trail to Lakeview Mountain begins at Crescent Lake Sno-Park. Head toward Fawn Lake and then Stag Lake, from where the summit is an off-trail scramble.

Mount Yoran: The approach route on the Pacific Crest Trail is easy for most hikers, but only experienced peak scramblers should leave the trail and attempt to find a route to the summit. The 12-mile round-trip hike starts at 5,000 feet elevation and will take eight to 10 hours. The south peak is 7,138 feet high, but the 7,100-foot north peak carries the name of Mount Yoran on maps.

Fuji Mountain: Trails reach the summit from the west and east. If you would rather walk more than drive, hike it from the east from the Fuji Mountain Trail that leaves Road 5897, the access road to the east side of Waldo Lake.

Cowhorn/Sawtooth Mountain: This two-peak outing will take most of a day. I approached Cowhorn from the south, at Windigo Pass, then kept on going southwest to Sawtooth Mountain, which requires some scrambling to top out.

The Twins: There is a 3.3-mile trail to the summit from Forest Road 5897, the access road to the east side of Waldo Lake.

Maiden Peak: This is the second highest summit in the area, at 7,818 feet. The trail approaches from the east (signed Maiden Lake, in the Deschutes National Forest west of Davis Lake).

As always during summer, check local fire conditions before heading out.